


Go On Boys

by CyberSearcher



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Real Person Fiction, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eret gets some closure, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, i hate tagging for this fandom but what else can you do, no beta we die like everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 15:01:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30074037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberSearcher/pseuds/CyberSearcher
Summary: Dream is in prison. Eret still sees him everywhere he goes. He decides to put his ghosts to rest for good and finds a bit of hope left at the end of the tunnel.
Relationships: Eret & Sam | Awesamdude
Kudos: 20





	Go On Boys

**Author's Note:**

> This was initially a prompt and if you're reading this, I apologize for taking so long to fill it. 
> 
> This was originally meant to be written before the ‘Eret is Herobrines Cousin Twitter Thread’ but honestly I’m super excited to see where that goes. On the other hand, if he starts making 4x4 towers and tunnels, then it’s time to Scream.
> 
> _Also, I wanted to try a new format for writing Eret since it’s distracting to me trying to remember who’s speaking and in editing. I’ll be flipping back between he/she between chapters rather than sentences. Just a heads up._

Eret sat on his bed, staring down at the bedazzled crown in his hands.

It was somewhere between frustratingly early and far too late to be awake, but Eret couldn’t bring himself to lie back down. Light fingered through his gossamer canopy, bathing him in soft, rosy light. It was both a comfort, and a mockery to his current state of mind. 

For all his - albeit, undisciplined - magical prowess, dreams remained a mystery to him. He never dreamed much, but when he did it was often of things he tried to forget; abstract recreations of all his regrets. 

The crown felt like cold lead in his hands, but Eret couldn’t bring himself to set it on his nightstand. He resolved to just go about his day from here and went searching for a fresh set of clothes. He picked through his closet for something that looked decently clean and tried his best to ignore the rough cotton texture of a dusty jacket stuffed into the furthest recess. 

Grabbing some pie from the kitchen, he climbed down the stairs and ate from his throne. The wall of beacons he installed still glowed bright in the murky sky - he really needed to fix the redstone - and Eret watched the Prime Path from his seat. No one else looked to be awake, but not many people lived close to the Path these days. 

To try and distract himself, he listed off the supplies he’d need for his museum; polished andesite, sand for glass, more frames for a new set of maps. 

As he left to check his tools and sort through his chests for spare materials, Eret considered if it was worth it to try and repair some of the defunct projects others had left. There was the empty Target that had once held Schlatts remains, Tubbo and Tommy’s abandoned houses, the half-destroyed obsidian Manburg flag -

He pinched his nose, a headache pulsing behind his eyes. 

Work kept his body occupied and the strain of breaking stone and carrying stacks of sand kept him from thinking about all the landmarks his friends had left. But as he carried everything to his museum, Eret couldn’t ignore all the monuments to the past he’s carefully reconstructed, every detail as perfect as the day they were built. 

His eyes stung as he shoved everything into a chest, not bothering to sort them properly and left to grab something to fill the pit in his stomach. 

Looking down from his walls and parapets, Eret stared past the mostly abandoned houses, overgrown blood vines and creeper holes, a half eaten apple rolling in his hands. He looked up to the horizon and the looming black box that was Pandora. From his vantage point, he saw the black and green figure of the prisons warden gliding across the water platforms with his trident, landing near the closest one to his castle and meeting his gaze. 

“Sam,” he nodded to the warden as he met him between the towers of his castle, “you need anything? Is something up?”

The bipedal creeper shrugged and slung his trident across his back. “Nothing serious, I was just wondering if I could get more potatoes for the prison.”

“Yea, feel free to take what you need. Need any help working on a farm? It’d probably be easy for you to automate it.” 

“True. Admittedly I’ve been busy with other projects. I doubt anyone would care if I didn’t keep up rations, but I have my duties as Warden.” 

Eret wasn’t spectacular at reading mob facial expressions, but there was an unmistakable hiss in his tone that came as he spoke. Sam already knew the route to the underground potato farm, but Eret wasn’t about to turn down the company. 

As they gathered and re-planted crops, a question burned on the royals tongue. He could remember seeing flashes of the creepers face in his visions; building the prison, objecting to the prison, fighting Dream and fighting Bad. All these provided where glimpses into his actions and Eret didn’t know the man well enough to extrapolate anything from them. 

Before the warden could leave, Eret called his attention. “Sam, can - this might be a bit touchy but I wanted to ask something.” 

The creeper squinted one dark eye, then nodded. 

“Why did you decide to work with - work on Pandora, I mean, not that I don’t think you’d be a good warden, I just wanted to know since you spent so much time working on it.” 

“What’s got you wondering?” Sam deflected. 

“It’s nothing serious.” Eret paused, then continued. “But it’s just been on my mind lately - after everything that’s happened.” 

Sam took a moment to look him over again and he tried not to frown at the scrutiny. “If you want to talk, I’d prefer to do it inside.”   
After Eret led them back up the parapets, Sam leaned against the stone and exhaled a long breath. 

“It was just a job at first, just that. He paid me and told me to make someplace inescapable. I didn’t really care at first. I was more excited at a real challenge for once than anything. I… tried not to think about who was meant to go inside.” 

Sam fiddled with his armour. “When Tommy and Tubbo left to go fight Dream, I asked myself _‘why them?’_ Why should they be the ones going off to fight that freak all alone? They’re just kids. Then when we saw what Dream was doing, the trophies and stolen pets, I knew I couldn’t just do nothing. Being the Warden is the least I can do to keep them safe.” 

The royal stared down the castle wall, nodding slowly. “You’ve been doing a good job. And if you’re as good as you say, Dream’s staying where he belongs for good.” 

“I made sure of that.” Sam affirmed. “But what about you? I know you’ve got a history with him too.” 

Eret’s mouth twitched and his gaze narrowed at the creeper. But he gave no impression of negativity, just a curiosity tinged with guilt. 

“Yea, yea we’ve got a history. Back during the first L’mangeurg war, I sold everyone out to Dream so I could be king. I’m the reason Tommy had to give up his disks. I’m the one who stabbed all my friends in the back and they deserve to hate me for it.” 

“Hey, hey man, don’t say that about yourself.” Sam shook his shoulder. “You still teamed up with them on the sixteenth and you were there for Tommy when it counted.” 

Eret pushed up his glasses and sighed. “I know, but that doesn’t make up for what I did. I should never have even looked at Dream.” 

“We’ve all done stupid things. I don’t know if it’s even possible to distinguish who’s right half the time. But I don’t think you're that bad of a guy.” 

“Maybe.” He mused.   
The sun had dipped down and now Pandora cast a long, dark shadow across the lake it was built across. Sam heaved the sack of potatoes over his shoulder and readied his trident. 

“Hey, do you think I could visit in a day or two? I need to see him one last time for good. I don’t want Dream haunting my thoughts anymore.” 

Sam nodded. “Sure, I can set something up in two days. See you then Eret.”

“See you man.” 

The royal watched Sam glicing back across the sky. Eret brushed back his hair and ignored the cold weight of his crown as he went about the rest of his day.


End file.
